Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Fringe

Deep down, I'm a skeptic who loves conspiracy theories and is a little thrilled by fringe science. I can't help it. It's like eating Funnyuns, or chocolate, or drinking cheap vodka and Tang: You just can't stop!The new Fox show from J.J. Abrahms, "Fringe" is almost too good to be true. I didn't trust my initial assessment on the first viewing, so I watched the whole 1.5 hr premier again. I was even more blown away by the set up and premise, owing in no small part to Anna Torv's turn as Olivia Dunham. While other people are in the cast, and they are capable enough to deliver their lines, it's Torv as Dunham that sets the pace and direction of the show. She's an absolute joy to watch. She's not afraid to show emotion and go the extra yard for something that is close to her heart, but when push comes to shove, she's all FBI all the time. A weird balancing act, but Torv pulls it off.So, I'm committing to this show. Despite how I felt about J.J.'s other show, "Lost", I'm going to stick with "Fringe" for at least the full season.As a footnote, the show I've given up on - "The Sarah Connor Chronicles". One big WTF? Nothing but extraneous filler for an outcome that we already know. Yes, I love Lena Headey (what lesbian doesn't?), but the show itself is dreck. Too much tension is built every single week and the show just can't sustain that. It feels forced because it is. Maybe if they could've just had some more down time funny moments, something relatable, I would've thought that there was hope. But no. I'm outta there.

2 comments:

Hmm, maybe I was just cranky but I wasn't feeling Fringe. I think it's because the small irrationalities kept bugging me. Like that the mad scientist's basement Harvard lab would remain untouched for 17 years while he was at the funny farm and all he would have to do is pull off the dust covers and, voila, instant Altered States. And the micro-cassette thing at the end really bothered me too. A scientist working on cutting edge biological warfare wouldn't use a digital recorder? I'm more than happy to suspend disbelief, but only when I have to. Otherwise I think it's just lazy. But, you know, maybe I was just cranky I had to come back from vacation. (It was in Arizona, by the way, visiting family...and no, thank God, I did not run into John McCain.) I did, however, love Anna Torv.

DS! So good to see you! Glad to have you back from vacation. Hope it was restful and fun.I too noticed the flaws in Fringe, but for some reason those bits of nonsense didn't bother me the way they usually do. And they bothered me less on the 2nd time 'round. Of course I've got a bad head cold and I'm running on soup and herb tea, so I'm not sure that my perspective can be trusted ;)